Advocacy

In all aspects of its work, CASIE advocates for the needs of children and those who educate them. As an organization, we hope to always encourage critical dialogue about the changing faces in our classrooms and the wonderful opportunities each unique face brings. Such a dialogue is paramount in creating the classrooms of tomorrow – encouraging all of us to consider, if not for just a moment, how we can be more internationally minded.

CASIE advocates for quality, thought-provoking professional development with our workshops and consulting while reaching out to the greater community with special events. As part of our advocacy efforts, CASIE works with legislatures and government agencies to develop policies and budgets in support of international education and language programs, including the International Baccalaureate and other curricula with an international focus.

House Bill 467, which would have granted 24 semester hours of college credit to Georgia students who graduate with a full IB Diploma, passed both the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate, but Governor declined to sign the bill on May 24.

Georgia’s Elementary School Foreign Languages (ESFL) model challenge in which participating schools provide 30 minutes of daily instruction in French, German, Japanese or Spanish to all students in grades Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. The program began in 1992 in 15 school systems across Georgia and has since expanded to many schools throughout the state. Governor Perdue used his line item veto power on May 30 to cut an estimated $130 million from the budget, including the ESFL program.